Maternal-assisted Caesareans

[{sarah}]

Lily, that is exactly what this section is for & steps have been taken to rectify the situation within this thread.

Kelly posted an apology when she realised which section this was in as well -

I have to admit, I accidentally posted here without looking at which section it was posted in, so that was my bad!

[BellyBelly]

I've also posted saying let's move on, any more off track / unsupportive posts will be removed. So can we please move on and stay on track with the OP please.

[~mamaspice~]

Wow, there's been a lot going on in here since my last post.

Thankyou for the positive feedback guys. I think after much tooing and froing from post to post the reason why I posted this topic in the first place is now pretty clear to everyone. YAY

And if there is even just one person out there who has been inspired by this thread to make their necessary c-section a better experience, then this whole topic has been well worth posting.

Take care guys.

[EthansMumma]

Hi Charli'sMumma & also to MamaDuke

Congrats to both of you on being able to convince your obs to agree to this type of C/S.

Do either of you have any advice or info that you think might be helpful in convincing an Obs to agree to this type of C/S?

I soon to have my 25 week appointment with my obs and will be raising the topic with him then. I am pregnant with my third child, and for medical reasons will be having an elective caesar. I am hoping for a MAC/S as my last experience of an emergency caesar was quite distressing.

Is there anything you recommend that I do (or don't) say in trying to get him to see things my way?

I have a different obs this time, as my previous one has moved. To complicate matters further, it is most likely that the new obs will be on leave around the time of the baby's birth, so yet another obs will probably end up delivering my baby.

I barely know either of these men (haven't even met the 2nd one), and I have yet to develop any real rapport with them. So I am assuming that I will have a VERY difficult time convincing them to allow me to have a 'different' type of caesar.

Any relevant information you could provide would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks, Nicole
Mumma to DS (born sleeping Apr 2005) and DD (born June 2006)

[~mamaspice~]

Hi Nicole,

Congratulations on your pregnancy and good on you for wanting a MACS.

I actually wrote my OB a letter explaining how traumatic my previous caesarean was for me and that my first choice for next time was a VBAC but that I'd done some research and should I need another caesarean I wanted a MACS. I also printed and enclosed Paula Becktons MACS story (which I have the link for in my original post in this thread) and I told my OB that I hoped she would be supportive of my wishes for this type of c section, should I need one.

I know Mummaduke will tell you that if your OB doesn't oblige' then go find yourself another one who will!

Where abouts are you located?

I guess that the things that are against you are 1: that you don't have a rapport with your new Ob and 2: that you may not even have him delivering your baby - but all you can do is try, so approch him about it and see what he says.

I've actually made a few different choices since I started this thread. I am now going to have midwifery care in a public hospital for my second pregnancy. One of the reasons I have chosen this is because I know it'll be my best chance of having a VBAC, which to me is the most important thing. I know that this may take away the option of me having a MACS if I end up needing another caesar but I have spoken to a midwife at the hospital (I'm not even pg yet BTW ) and I asked that if I have a caesar could I have the screen lowered so I could see my baby being born and could I have bub placed on my chest in theatre and the midwife didn't seem to have a problem with that. Some hospitals may argue that it's too cold in theatre but really, if your bub is skin to skin with you and has a warmed towell or blanket on them then they would be as snug as a bug. I guess what I'm trying to get at is even if you cannot find an OB who will agree to a MACS, I can't see why they wouldn't agree to the other things I've just mentioned. I also asked the public hospital if I could have bub with me in recovery but they said that depends on whether there is the availability of having a midwife in recovery with me.

Hope this helps

best of luck to you and keep us posted on how you go!

Tamara

[lellabella]

I'm very new here and I just wanted to say how much I appreciate this post about Maternal Assisted Caesarians. I also had a Caesar under a general for the birth of my daughter. I did not meet her until she was 3 hours old and she had already been bathed. This resulted in me developing severe PND and unfortunately we both spent the next 3 months in hospital (most of which I don't remember).

Sadly many of the comments here are why I suffered such severe PND. I so wanted a natural non-medical birth and instead got the most medical intervention possible. Many women are so ready to shout from the rooftops about how Caesarians are "not normal" and "Vaginal Births are Best" which to be frank I think you have to be living on another planet to not actually know. I'm sure the percentage of women who choose a caesar because they are "too posh to push" is very very small and in fact most women do it because they have no choice. Most women would LOVE to be able to birth their babies vaginally, and making them feel "abnormal" for being put in a choiceless position shows a lack of insight and empathy.

All power to the women here who have fought to be able to have some form of "choice" in what is such a difficult situation. I for one will be fighting to have a maternal assisted caesarian for my next birth as once again the chances of me having a VBAC are slim. I am so excited that I might actually be able to participate in my own child's birth - thank you for bringing this information to me. Not only are you inspiring, but your strength and determination might just help to give some power back to some very disempowered women.

[~mamaspice~]

Lellabella, to you sweetie. And welcome to BB.

I'm so happy that you have found this thead so helpful. I hope you have a truely beautiful birth experience next time.

If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to ask

Tamara